Paid to Write

...Sort of. Kind of. Not really.

On a bizarre whim I decided to buy a Spiral Notebook and 10 black ink pens at the dollar store during my lunch break.

I have just about the laziest job known to man. Since 2005 I've spent my Mondays and Fridays mostly reading books, occasionally working for fifteen minute bursts. I do this for ten hours a day twice a week. Seems like paradise right? Nope. Boring as hell. On top of that, I only get paid $6.00 an hour, which is technically illegal in the state of Maryland. However, given Maryland state minimum wage is only $6.15, and I only work 20 hours at most per week, I can't be arsed to make waves for a raise of $3 a week.

But it's something. Averages out to roughly $100 a week for doing jack shit I've read probably over 200 books in the past three years.

And now I have chosen to use that time to do more writing. And I can get a shitload done without the distraction and temptation of the internet. So technically, as I spend 70% of my time there writing, I get paid $6 an hour to write. Technically... yeah, grasping at the straws here.

My next project isn't a novel, but an array of short stories. Dual purpose, to get some minor publishing out there(Perhaps via Amazon Kindle, need to read up more on Short Story publishing), also to help flesh out the major characters of my novel. Seven short stories, first person perspective for each of them, whereas the novel is an omnipotent third person perspective. They are, in order of my likely doing them:

The Aloysius (Sterling Sloane) : The biggest art burglary of his life to bring his family back into prominence.
First and Final Contact (Layne Fulton) : Second Thoughts about an assassination wreck a man who never wanted to be in the position in the first place.
Not Part of the Deal (Tyron Pierce) : A Kasian assassin kills someone he shouldn't have and may lose everything.
Training Day (Cade Trevelyan) : Lessons in the necessary cruelty of day to day life in Allbridge.
Daughter of a 'Nobleman' (Breanna Sloane) : Being born well off isn't always a free ride in life.
Freak (Rolo) : An encounter with the man who tossed him out on the street for being a bit different.
Breaking The Streak (Marcelo) : The worst thief in Allbridge attempts to break his botched record.

Of course, you don't know who any of these people are, so it's mostly meaningless. But I'm very proud of my first short story which is about 70% done. Then again, all of this could suck and I could be wasting my time. But eh, we'll wait and see.